Temporomandibular joints (TMJs) are the cornerstone of your bite’s movement. The two large joints, which are located on either side of your face, are the hinges that your lower jaw (mandible) pivots on. TMJ disorder is a condition that involves damage, misalignment, inflammation, or more to one or both of the joints, making your jaw’s movement difficult and painful. At our Ft. Worth orthodontics office, we can help you find relief from TMJ disorder and its chronic symptoms through custom-designed TMJ therapy.
The popping sensation in your jaw
When you have TMJ disorder, your jaw joints have trouble moving together. One may complete its movement before the other one, creating undue pressure as your bite continues to close. To accommodate the dysfunction, your jaw will have to situate itself differently as you bite and chew, causing a popping or clicking sensation some, most, or all of the time. By treating TMJ disorder, you can bring your TMJs into better alignment, eliminating the constant shifting, popping, and clicking.
The headaches you can’t get rid of
When your TMJs are disturbed, so is the large group of nerves that stimulate your jaw’s movement. Known as the trigeminal nerve group, it also innervates most of the rest of your head, neck, and facial structures. When TMJ disorder develops, the disturbance to these nerves can cause pain throughout them all, leading to chronic, increasingly worse headaches and migraines. Until you treat your disorder, you may not find any lasting relief for your headaches.
The pain in your jaw and facial muscles
As your jaw struggles to operate every time you bite, chew, and speak, your overtaxed jaw and facial muscles can become fatigued. The more TMJ disorder forces them to overwork, the more painful it will be for them to operate through the fatigue. Your jaw muscles may become sore and painful even while at rest, and you may feel similar discomfort throughout the muscles in your face.
The chronic grinding of your teeth
When your jaw muscles and joints struggle to get comfortable, your TMJ disorder can lead to a chronic habit of grinding your teeth. Known as bruxism, this may be a cause of your TMJ disorder, or it may be a consequence of the bite dysfunction. For example, constantly grinding your teeth can more quickly exhaust or damage your jaw joints. If you already have TMJ disorder, then both your jaw dysfunction and teeth-grinding will continue to grow worse.
Learn if TMJ therapy can help you
TMJ disorder can make several things more difficult or painful, but with customized TMJ therapy, you can find relief from them all and once again enjoy a healthy, fully functioning bite. For more information, schedule a consultation by calling Lake Country Orthodontics in Fort Worth, TX today at (817) 236-7846.
